StormWarrior
At Foreign Shores – Live In Japan

February 2007
Released: 2006, Remedy Records/Sound Pollution
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Anders Sandvall

This live album is a great attempt at telling the story of Stormwarrior’s first visit to Japan. They toured with one of German metal legends Gamma Ray. One might wonder if it’s justified to release a live album after only two studio albums. This CD was recorded during the Heavy Metal Fire Tour in 2005 when Stormwarrior was touring in support of their studio album NORTHERN RAGE from 2004, which is the band’s second album and my first experience with them.



The band plays - just like so many other German acts - really fast power metal without any keyboard interference. The material sounds exactly like the studio album; the only difference is that the speed is a little faster live. It’s a great live album overall and the band seems to really have fun up on stage. The album is 10 songs and 45 minutes long. Both the band and the ecstatic audience seem to cooperate perfectly. The production by band members Lars and Falko sounds awesome; you can really taste the live feeling.



AT FOREIGN SHORES is proof of what a great live album should sound like, but is it really a necessary purchase? No. I question the motivation behind releasing a live album after only two studio albums; even if this is a way of earning the band a little more money during the holiday season, it’s still a fun ride. Killer tracks are “Heavy Metal Fire”, “Valhalla”, “Odins Warriors”, “Thunderer”, and “Lindisfarne”.



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